Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40170613›Full record

ArticlePsychological medicine2025

Longitudinal relationships between social anhedonia and internalizing symptoms in autistic children: results from the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials.

Alan H Gerber, Adam Naples, Katarzyna Chawarska, Geraldine Dawson, Natalia Kleinhans, Shafali Jeste, Susan Faja, James Dziura, Sara Webb, Catherine Sugar and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Psychological medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Alan H GerberChild Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8133-3995
Adam NaplesChild Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6298-5699
Katarzyna ChawarskaChild Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1445-6346
Geraldine DawsonDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1410-2764
Natalia KleinhansDepartment of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4417-4224
Shafali JesteDivision of Neurology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9821-7589
Susan FajaDivision of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6876-3643
James DziuraDepartment of Biostatistics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8953-6183
Sara WebbSeattle Children's Research Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4101-6255
Catherine SugarDepartment of Biostatistics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2804-7612
Frederick ShicSeattle Children's Research Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9040-1259
April R LevinDepartment of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4192-4720
James C McPartlandChild Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2570-0746
Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials

Funding

The Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical TrialsU19MH108206 · NIMH · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI MCPARTLAND, JAMES CHARLES · 2015 to 2024
$68.8M
TRAINING PROGRAM IN CHILDHOOD NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERST32MH018268 · NIMH · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Michael H Bloch, MICHAEL J CROWLEY · 1985 to 2026
$11.0M
Genetic Analysis and Manipulation Core (GAEC)P50HD105351 · NICHD · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI Hisashi Umemori · 2021 to 2026
$9.4M
NICHD NIH HHS P50 HD105351NIMH NIH HHS MH18268NIMH NIH HHS T32 MH018268NIMH NIH HHS U19 MH108206
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSocial anhedonia, indicating reduced pleasure from social interaction, is heightened in autistic youth and associated with increased internalizing symptoms transdiagnostically. The stability of social anhedonia over time and its longitudinal impact on internalizing symptoms in autism have never been examined.

methodsParticipants were 276 autistic children (

resultsAt baseline, social anhedonia correlated with autism severity, as well as parent-reported social anxiety and depression. Social anhedonia showed relative stability (ICC = 0.763) over 6 months, with a significant decline between baseline and 6 weeks (

conclusionsSocial anhedonia demonstrated stability over 6 months, suggesting that it may be a relatively stable characteristic in autistic children. Concurrent relationships were observed between social anhedonia and depression, as well as social anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Only depression demonstrated a bidirectional longitudinal association with social anhedonia. This bidirectional relationship aligns with developmental models linking early negative social experiences to subsequent internalizing symptoms in autistic children, underscoring the clinical significance of social anhedonia assessment in this population.

Indexed as

AnhedoniaAnxietyAutism Spectrum DisorderAutistic DisorderDepressionSocial InteractionAdolescentChildFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleSeverity of Illness Indexautism spectrum disorderschildrendepressionlongitudinalsocial anhedonia

Identifiers

PMID40170613
PMCPMC12094631

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.